As HTC has disbanded the official software support to the 2013 flagship smartphone One M7, users now have to rely on custom ROM.

Google Plus Android ROM is one such custom firmware, which promises good user-experience enhancing features and also improvements in performance on HTC One M7.

The new Google Plus custom has been created by XDA Developer Forum's recognised member santod040 and is based on the 6.04.1700.6 CL536258 release-keys. It brings numerous new features and performance tweaks which include:

Added Aroma installer for user customization

Option to disable SeLinux during install

Material Lite is the default theme

DARK Material theme in Aroma (optional)

Custom Wake Gestures

App Ops in settings

Latest SuperSU

System Write protection disabled

Advanced Power Menu

Clear All Recents

Personalize section in settings

Volume Panel Timeout

Show Ime notification

Volume Keys move cursor

Capacitive buttons light with screen on

Option to enable navbar & disable buttons

Navigation Bar height(32,36,42,48 if enabled)

Clock position(remove, right, center, left)

Clock Am/Pm (normal, small, none)

Battery Style (portrait, land, circle, text, hide)

Battery Percent (hide, inside icon, next to icon)

Show alarm icon switchbox

One finger pulldown QS switchbox

Double Tap 2 sleep status bar switchbox

Enable Heads up toggle

Heads up timeout (1-10 seconds)

Long press back to kill app toggle

Music controls toggle and options

Quick Unlock

Scramble pin

Lockscreen shortcuts

Network traffic indicator

--color style, display unit, update interval

--auto hide, inactivity threshold

Ambient Display

Power widget enabled for all launchers

Google Keyboard

Material design V4A for both Dark and Lite UI's

Brightness slider in status bar pulldown

Prerequisites (Things to remember before installing custom ROM):

Make sure the device is rooted before going forward with custom ROM installation

The new Google Plus Android 5.1.1 Lollipop custom ROM should be installed on the HTC One M7 (GSM) model only, if tried on other devices, it might get bricked [To check your device model: Go to Settings >> About phone >> model number]

Installation of custom ROM requires clearing memory in the smartphone, so make sure to back all the data by installing Clockwork Mod (CWM) Recovery/ TWRP in the smartphone.

Make sure to install USB drivers on the PC, or else your smartphone (HTC One M8) will not be recognized by the computer.

Make sure your device has more than 80% battery, or else there is a chance of the smartphone getting temporarily bricked if the installation process is interrupted midway.

[Disclaimer: This procedure is very technical and should be performed by a person with sound knowledge of rooting (or manual software installation) Android devices. If the step-by-step installation process is not followed properly, there are chances of the smartphone getting bricked or being permanently irreparable. IBTimes, Indiacannot be held responsible for any damage or claims from readers if the procedure does not yield the required results or if the smartphone is bricked. Hence, users are advised to proceed with caution.]

Step 9: After entering the Recovery mode, clear the phone memory, by choosing 'wipe data/factory reset' [Note: use Volume keys to navigate and power button to select options, while operating under Recovery Mode]

Step 10: Clear the cache memory by selecting 'wipe cache partition'.

Step 11: Go back to ClockworkMod recovery, and select 'advanced' and tap 'wipe dalvik cache' [Note: This step is optional, but many recommend this procedure so that user will not face boot loops or any other errors in the middle of custom ROM installation]

Step 12: Come back to main recovery screen and then tap 'install zip from SD card'

Step 13: Tap 'choose zip from sdcard' and go to Android 5.1.1 Lollipop ROM .zip file in SD card and enter the installation process. Repeat the same procedure for Google Apps [Note: use Volume keys to navigate and power button to select options]

Step 14: Once done with the installation process, navigate to '+++++Go Back+++++' and re-start the device by opting 'reboot system now' seen in the recovery menu.

Now your device (HTC One M7) will take at a few minutes (only for the first time) to complete the booting process.